The Architecture of Mevlana Museum, Explained

By All Over InformationUpdated August 10, 20267 min read

The Mevlana Museum of Konya — the complex of the shrine and the dervish lodge — is the architectural treasure of the Sufi tradition, and its buildings carry the history of the centuries. The complex that the visitor sees today grew from the tomb of Rumi through the Seljuk, the Ottoman, and the modern eras, and every element of the architecture carries the story: the mausoleum of the green dome, the semahane of the whirling ceremony, and the rooms of the dervish life. This guide explains the architecture of the Mevlana Museum, element by element.

The Complex of the Museum

The Mevlana Museum is the complex of the several parts, grown through the centuries around the tomb of the master. The complex includes the mausoleum of Rumi — the heart of the shrine, under the green dome — the semahane of the whirling ceremony, the rooms of the dervishes, and the courtyard that binds them. The complex of the museum is the architecture of the tradition: the shrine of the master, the hall of the ceremony, and the lodge of the dervish life, in the one architectural whole.

The complex is the framework of the visit, and the visitor walks through its parts — the courtyard, the rooms, and the mausoleum — in the order of the tradition.

The Mausoleum and the Green Dome

The mausoleum of Rumi is the heart of the complex, and its architecture is the signature of the museum. The mausoleum rises over the tomb of the master, and the famous green dome covers it: the conical dome of the turquoise tiles, the landmark of Konya, and the symbol of the museum. The mausoleum of the master holds the sarcophagi of Rumi and his family, and the interior of the shrine carries the decoration of the centuries: the tiles, the inscriptions, and the ornaments of the tomb.

The mausoleum and the green dome are the architectural icons of the museum: the tomb of the master, the turquoise cone, and the monument that the visitors of Konya see from the whole city.

Mevlana Museum, Turkey — Photo by niekverlaan on Pixabay

The Semahane

The semahane of the complex — the hall of the whirling ceremony — is the architectural center of the Mevlevi life. The hall was the place of the sema, the whirling ritual of the dervishes: the round space of the dance, the galleries of the musicians, and the stage of the ceremony. The semahane of the museum preserves the hall of the tradition, and the visitor walks the space where the whirling dervishes performed their ceremony through the centuries.

The semahane is the architecture of the ritual: the round hall of the whirling, the galleries of the music, and the space where the sema of the Mevlevi was performed.

The Rooms of the Dervishes

The rooms of the dervish life — the chambers and the halls of the lodge — complete the complex of the museum. The rooms held the life of the Mevlevi: the cells of the dervishes, the halls of the teaching, and the spaces of the daily life of the order. The museum of today preserves the rooms with the objects of the tradition — the garments, the instruments, and the artifacts of the dervish life — and the visitor walks the architecture of the lodge, the spaces where the Mevlevi lived and taught.

The Courtyard

The courtyard of the complex — the open space before the mausoleum — is the architecture of the approach. The courtyard receives the visitors and the pilgrims, the fountain of the courtyard holds the ritual water, and the rooms and the halls of the complex open onto its space. The courtyard of the museum is the meeting place of the complex: the approach to the shrine, and the gathering space of the tradition.

The Materials and the Decoration

The materials and the decoration of the complex carry the art of the centuries. The tiles of the museum — the turquoise and the blue of the domes and the walls — are the glory of the decoration, and the inscriptions of the complex carry the words of the Quran and the poetry of the tradition. The materials of the building — the stone and the brick of the complex, with the tiles of the decoration — follow the building traditions of the Seljuk and the Ottoman eras, and the art of the museum carries the heritage of the ages.

The Architecture of the Tradition

There is a deeper meaning to the architecture of the Mevlana Museum: the buildings are the architecture of the tradition. The complex grew around the tomb of the master, and every addition served the life of the Mevlevi: the mausoleum of the shrine, the semahane of the ceremony, and the rooms of the order. The architecture of the museum is the architecture of the Sufi life, and the visitor who walks the complex walks the spaces of the tradition — the shrine, the ritual, and the daily life of the whirling dervishes.

The Architecture in the Context

The architecture of the Mevlana Museum sits in the context of the Seljuk and the Ottoman building. The complex belongs to the family of the religious monuments of Konya — the mosques and the medreses of the Seljuk capital — and the architecture of the museum follows the traditions of the era: the domes, the tiles, and the forms of the religious building. The complex also stands in the context of the city — the green dome of the museum among the monuments of Konya — and the architecture of the shrine is part of the skyline of the Seljuk capital.

The Experience of the Architecture

There is a particular quality to the experience of the Mevlana Museum architecture: the visitor walks the complex of the tradition, through the spaces of the shrine — the courtyard, the rooms, the semahane, and the mausoleum. The architecture of the complex carries the visitor through the history of the Mevlevi, and the experience of the building is the experience of the tradition: the tomb of the master under the green dome, and the spaces of the whirling dervishes around it. The beloved monument of Konya, in its architecture, holds the deep heritage of the Sufi world.

The Gardens of the Complex

The gardens of the Mevlana Museum extend the architecture into the green of the shrine. The complex is set in the gardens of the museum — the planted grounds around the buildings, the paths of the complex, and the roses and the trees of the shrine — and the gardens frame the architecture: the green against the tiles of the mausoleum, and the quiet of the grounds around the beloved monument. The gardens of the museum are the architecture of the setting, the peace of the shrine beyond the walls of the city.

The practical note: the gardens of the complex are the open spaces of the visit — the walks, the seats, and the quiet of the grounds — and the visitor of the museum takes the green of the shrine as part of the experience: the mausoleum under the green dome, and the gardens of the tradition around it. And the light of the day changes the architecture of the complex: the morning light on the tiles of the dome, the midday over the courtyard, and the evening on the mausoleum — the beloved monument in the changing lights of the day, each giving its own version of the shrine.

The Gate and the Entrance

The gate of the Mevlana Museum — the entrance of the complex, on the street of the center — is the architecture of the arrival. The gate of the museum opens from the busy street of Konya into the quiet of the shrine: the threshold between the city and the tradition, and the entrance that the pilgrims and the visitors have crossed for the centuries. The gate of the complex carries the inscriptions of the museum, and the arrival through the gate is the beginning of the visit — the crossing from the everyday into the world of the master.

The practical note: the gate of the museum is the meeting point of the visit — the entrance of the complex, the tickets of the entry, and the beginning of the route — and the architecture of the arrival sets the tone of the visit: the threshold of the shrine, and the welcome of the beloved monument.

Frequently asked questions

What is the green dome of the Mevlana Museum?

The green dome is the conical dome of the turquoise tiles that covers the mausoleum of Rumi. The dome is the landmark of Konya and the symbol of the museum.

What is the semahane?

The semahane is the hall of the whirling ceremony, where the dervishes performed the sema. The hall of the museum preserves the round space of the ritual and the galleries of the musicians.

What is in the rooms of the museum?

The rooms of the museum hold the life of the Mevlevi tradition: the cells and the halls of the dervish lodge, with the garments, the musical instruments, and the artifacts of the order. The collection of the museum preserves the heritage of the whirling dervishes.

All Over Information

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